For a moment, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson felt like he was in high school again, pulling a black and red Northeast High School football jersey over his head on the auditorium stage, beneath cheers from all the students. .
Johnson remembers growing up playing high school football at Groveton High School in Groveton, Texas, and the passion he saw from the local community for the team. But he also remembers the struggles he faced as a teenager, trying to figure out who his friends were and what he wanted to do with his life, while struggling to trust himself.
As the four-time Pro Bowler spoke to students, he shared the advice he wishes he had received at their age.
“What I regret looking back is the time I wasted wondering if I wouldn’t be enough, wondering all this, wondering all that,” Johnson told the students. “And what you have to realize is that you only have a certain amount that you can control.
“You really don’t have much impact on anything else, you can control your attitude, you can control your mindset, you can really control who you hang out with.”
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Johnson spoke from his heart and his experiences to Northeastern students about his mental health, particularly an anxiety disorder that dates back to his freshman year at Kilgore College, where he was a junior college backup quarterback for a season before transferring to Oklahoma in 2009. The event was hosted by Kooth, a state-funded provider of confidential online mental health support for students ages 11-18.
The northeast won that of Kooth Summer of Well-being Competition, which encouraged students to sign up and participate in the platform’s various digital mental health resources and activities. The visit of Johnson, Kooth ambassador, was the prize of the competition. By lending his voice to the platform, Johnson is working to destigmatize the topic of mental health among high school students.
“I just remember being in their shoes and I just remember it being kind of a place of uncertainty,” Johnson said. “A few years to really understand what direction you want to go.” For them, it was just about relaying that message and then because they have the whole mental health thing, they have Kooth here to help them and guide them.
Johnson began opening up publicly about her mental health journey last year. In the 2021 season, he took a three-game bye from the team after trying to stop taking his antidepressant during training camp. He suffered withdrawal symptoms, prompting him to return home to Oklahoma and seek help.
When Johnson returned to Philadelphia, he spoke to the media about his leave. He began lecturing at depression clinics, using his platform to empower others to seek help with their own problems.
“I feel like people wanted to know more about it and how it affected me and how I came back from it,” Johnson said. “So I found inspiration from other athletes who were going through something similar, whenever they talked about it. And I felt like I resonated with that. So I feel like maybe a lot of Philadelphians might resonate with that.
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Johnson spoke about athletes he admired for their vulnerability, including NBA legends Michael Jordan and LeBron James as well as boxers Mike Tyson and Tyson Fury. He also discussed some of the physical symptoms he experienced when he was initially diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, including a loss of appetite and a feeling of fear and helplessness.
In addition to addressing the student body in a 10-minute speech, students also had the opportunity to ask Johnson questions during a question-and-answer session. He answered questions about how he deals with anxiety related to a big match or injury and also shared his strategies for calming his nerves.
Johnson detailed his regimented approach to the work week leading up to game day, which helps him feel confident once on the field. Before the match, he likes to use breathing techniques and go into the cold bath up to his neck to rejuvenate his body and mind. Johnson shared that he doesn’t like listening to music before performing because he finds it distracts from his performance.
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After the all-school session, Johnson also met with the Northeast football team and answered their questions about how he went about his career. He took photos with team members and then signed autographs.
“Just talking with them today, I felt like this really resonated with them and that they took this seriously,” Johnson said. “With this, it can sort of be their own personal journey and they don’t have to feel pressure from outside resources, and it’s all sort of private and confidential.” So I think it’s a good platform that they can use.
Drafted No. 4 overall in 2013, Johnson is in his 11th year with the Eagles and was a member of the Super Bowl LII winning team at the end of the 2017 season. Throughout his time with the Eagles, Johnson has become one of the best players in the league, and not just at his position. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson has only allowed two sacks this season. He hadn’t allowed a sack in his previous two seasons.
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However, while Johnson is passionate about his profession and his teammates, he emphasized the importance of being confident in one’s identity outside of work, which led him to use his voice to inspire others.
“I love playing football, I love being with my team, I love competing,” Johnson told the students. “But I’ve learned to separate myself from, you know, what I do is not who I am. So I love what I do. But for me, it’s about being a better person. So I know my platform, I have the ability to influence a lot of people around me in the community.
